Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said his country—and the rest of the world—will have to "wait and see" the extent of the damage Lionel Messi suffered playing for Inter Miami on Monday.
Messi was forced to leave the MLS match against Philadelphia Union in the 79th minute, with the score tied at 4–4. Miami's initial medical report revealed "muscle fatigue in the left hamstring," setting alarm bells ringing so close to the 2026 World Cup.
Scaloni Comments on Messi's Condition
"We were watching the match at the training ground. We realized he asked to be substituted, that he wasn't well," the 2022 World Cup-winning manager told D Sports.
"The first reports are not that bad. Logically, we would prefer that nothing had happened to him. Now, we have to wait and see how he progresses. Above all, they're going to run tests on him, I imagine, and see if it's as they say."
Scaloni added: "We would have liked him to arrive in camp without any kind of problems, but that is not the case with him and with most of the players who have had problems. They are not fully recovered. Our goal is to try to recover them and have them arrive in the best possible condition."
World Cup Record Within Reach
Even closing in on his 38th birthday, Messi is still central to Argentina's hopes of becoming the first team in more than 60 years to successfully retain the men's World Cup.
This will be Messi's fifth World Cup, tying him with Cristiano Ronaldo, who has already been named in Portugal's squad for a sixth time. Each played their first World Cup in 2006.
But in terms of individual World Cup matches, a new record could be Messi's alone by July. He has already played 26 World Cup matches, making his 26th appearance in the 2022 final against France. Four appearances for Messi in 2026 would equal the overall record held by USWNT legend Kristine Lilly, who played 30 times at the women's tournament from 1991–2007. Five would break it.